Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: fridge on wheels

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review in a sentence: hefty but versatile premium battery-powered cool box for glamping. 

Anker is best known for their battery-powered products, especially their power banks and smartphone chargers. Those into sports might also know about their sub-brand, Soundcore, producing excellent value-for-money running headphones. Until now, no one associated Anker with camping, but this is all about to change thanks to the EverFrost cool box range, of which the smallest version I'll be reviewing here.

Trying to compete with the best camping cool box brand (Yeti) isn't an easy task, but if anyone is up for the challenge, it's Anker. To do that, Anker used their expertise in batteries to create the EverFrost, which, unlike passive coolers, uses the battery to keep the perishable goods inside the box as chilled as possible until said battery runs out.

So, unlike passive boxes in which goods will gradually lose their cool – literally speaking – the Anker EverFrost 30, the subject of this review, can keep drinks and food adequately chilled for nearly two days straight. Excited? You should be. This might be a game-changer product for car campers.

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: price and availability

The Anker EverFrost Powered Cooler was available on Kickstarter for a discounted price and is available to buy now directly from Anker UK and Anker US, with prices from $799/ £849 (approx. AU$ 1,167). It comes in three sizes; the EverFrost 30 (33L), EverFrost 40 (43L), and EverFrost 50 (53L). The Anker EverFrost Powered Cooler 53L also includes a dual-zone cooling design for cooling or freezing to keep food and drinks fresh or frozen at the same time.

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: specifications

• Capacity: 33L/43L/53L
• Temperature Range: -20°C - 20°C (-4°F - 68°F)
• Chilling period: 42 hours (39°F/4°C)
• Capacity: 38 cans (330 ml)
• Size: 650 x 430 x 487 mm (25.6 x 17.7 x 19.1 in)
• Weight: 22.2 kg / 48.9 lbs
• Adapter Powered: 95W
• Battery Capacity: 299Wh
• Charging (0-100%): 4 hours (wall outlet and car socket)
• Max Solar Power: 100W
• Output: 2x USB-A (12W each)
• 1x USB C (60W) Input/Output power

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: design and build quality

The Anker EverFrost 30 comes in a large box, which is indicative of the actual size of the unit – it's not small. This isn't an issue in itself; big cool boxes, such as the similarly-sized Yeti Tundra 35 Hard Cooler, aren't small. However, the EverFrost 30 is also considerably heavy, weighing 22.2 kg (48.9 lbs) without any food containers or drink cartons inside.

Most of the exterior is covered with malleable, textured plastic, with the cover resembling traditional cool boxes. There are two 6-inch transport wheels on either side of the EverFrost, and the  EasyTow suitcase-style handle to help you pull the cool box around easier. The handle can also be propped under and used as a chopping board, which is handy. Finally, you'll find a built-in bottle opener on the right side (it's pretty obvious).

The LED screen is easy to read and provides basic information about the EverFrost: battery percentage left and temperature inside the box. The LED is quick to turn off (I assume to conserve battery life). It's easy to operate the unit using the buttons. You can use the Anker app to control the EverFrost, although I completely forgot about it and used the physical buttons instead.

For reference, you can control temperature, check battery status and voltage protection level, and power on/off the unit via the app. It's all pretty straightforward.

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: performance and ergonomics

I was sent the smallest version with a 33-litre capacity, but when I say smallest, I don't mean small. In fact, I was a bit concerned about transporting the cool box in my small Skoda CitiGo; will the EverFrost 30 fit in the car? Indeed, I could only fit the box in the trunk with the rear seats slightly dropped. I doubt many people use dinky cars like mine for family camping, but I thought I'd mention this for reference. 

Lifting the EverFrost could be a challenge for some, especially since the handles are on the ends of the box, meaning you need long and strong arms to move the EverFrost around, up and down stairs, pull it around the beach, etc. I would recommend asking another person to help you lift and set down the cooler to avoid lower back injuries.

One more grief before I move on to talking about the good stuff. The Anker EverFrost 30 comes with two charging cables, a car charger and a wall charger, which is great because not only this allows you to charge the cool box anywhere, but you can also use the box without the battery if you want to. However, the box has no compartments to store the cables, making it easier to misplace them.

Onto the good stuff. The Anker EverFrost 30 is unlike any passive coolers I have tried because it keeps everything chilled until the battery runs out. Usually, foodstuff gradually gets warmer in passive boxes, but the EverFrost will keep them chilled for up to two days, which gives you peace of mind that things in the box won't go off before you get the chance to eat them.

Better still, you won't have that feeling of dipping your hand into a pool of defrosted ice when searching for a can of cola; it's like reaching into a fridge with wheels. Moreover, since cooling the unit requires no ice packs, the full 33-litre capacity can be used to store food and drinks. Nice! It's so much fun to use the EverFrost 30 that even when we were at home, we had the cool box powered, and my fiancee used it as her personal fridge.

The removable battery/power bank is just the icing on the cake. I'll level with you; I didn't charge anything with it because my top priority was keeping foodstuff in the EverFrost chilled, but I like this added versatility. You can use the cool box with the battery pulled out (via the connector outlet below the battery at the back), so you can take the battery elsewhere to charge your smartphone, for example. At the same time, the EverFrost 30 is powered via the car charger. 

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: verdict

Not everyone needs the Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler, but those who like their food and drinks chilled and have a big enough vehicle to carry the unit and their family with them will appreciate the chill factor of this cool box. Lifting the unit might not be quite breezy, but as long as there is a ramp, you can move the EverFrost 30 around on the transport wheels using the  EasyTow suitcase-style handle.

Another fact that might deter some people is the price point of the Anker EverFrost series – after all, you can use a passive cooler and keep things relatively cool for comparatively long (see also: seven essential camping cooler tricks). However, if you prefer not having to fish out your beer cans from a pool of melted ice cubes mixed with salad leaves, the EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler is a much better solution.

Anker EverFrost 30 Powered Cooler review: also consider

Similarly priced but slightly smaller, the DOMETIC CFX3 25 camping cooler is a revelation for cooling drinks but slightly more fiddly for food. The 25-litre capacity is enough for shorter trips, and it's half the weight of the EverFrost 30, making it easier to haul it if needed. Read Mark's full DOMETIC CFX3 25 camping cooler review.

Try the Coleman 50QT Xtreme for something a little less complicated (and way cheaper). This is a great cooler, but even this mid-size model (the biggest Coleman Xtreme Cooler is a massive 91 litres) requires lots of space and ice. For those needing a huge, portable cooler, though, this hits the spot. Read Mark's full Coleman 50QT Xtreme review.